Olympic Gold Medal Cookies–Yum!

Every four years bobsledding becomes cool—along with speed skating and a whole list of sports I would otherwise flip past versus sitting down to watch. Anyone else have Olympic fever? If not, what are you waiting for?

My children are now regularly talking about the South Korean team’s speed skating strategy against Apolo Ohno’s reserved, but winning approach (remember Ohno’s the one who always wears the bandana on his head and appeared on Dancing with the Stars?). Along with discussing whether Lindsey Vonn can still ski well after a crash on a downhill run. We’re watching (or rather DVR-ing) every minute. I’ve even noticed random Olympic mentions in conversations with my kids over the past week. “Mom, do you think the Flying Tomato (Shaun White’s least favorite nickname) will ever cut his hair?” or “If I practiced really hard could I go to the Olympics?”

Sure, the chances of one of my children becoming a world-class bobsledder are pretty slim, but I’m still doing everything I can to fill our house with a little Olympic spirit. To celebrate the games, we made gold medal cookies this week using a thick, puffy sugar cookie recipe. This recipe makes nearly six-dozen cookies, depending on how thick you make them. It’s a great recipe to feed a crowd and the cookies turn out soft and cakey. They’re akin to the Lofthouse cookies you find in the store.

Sugar cookies can have a fairly bland flavor unless you give them a boost. I add almond extract to both the batter and the frosting to give the cookies a kick. You can also add a little orange or lemon zest to give the cookies even more zing. We decorated our cookies with a creamy, butter-based frosting that we tried to make gold. I emptied the whole canister of non-toxic frosting gold dust trying to get a glistening look. Too bad the frosting only looked a bit more yellow, despite my efforts. My solution? My kids and I added some gold, decorative balls to the frosting at the end. These cookies are fun and easy to make with your crew—the perfect treat to have on hand while watching the final Olympic events this weekend. You can easily cut this cookie recipe in half—or even a third. But why not make plenty to share?

Here’s the medal-worthy cookie recipe:

My youngest enjoying her cookie

Simple, Puffy Sugar Cookies

Cream together:

3 cups sugar

1 Cup shortening

½ Cup Butter or margarine

3 eggs

2 cups milk

Add to creamed mixture:

3 T Baking powder

1 t salt

1 T vanilla

½-3/4 teaspoon almond extract

9 cups all-purpose flour

Mix well in a LARGE mixing dish. Once combined, divide dough in half and gently knead one half on a floured cutting board. Add more flour until the dough becomes slightly stiff. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll the dough out a little at a time to a ¼” thickness. Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven when just slightly browned. Frost when cool. Makes 5 ½ dozen 2 ½-inch cookies. I freeze the leftovers.

Easy, Creamy Cookie or Cupcake Frosting

Ingredients:

3 Sticks margarine or butter, softened

9 cups powdered sugar

½-3/4 teaspoon almond extract

½ Tablespoon whipping cream or milk

Whip softened butter with a hand mixer until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the extract and milk. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until the frosting becomes a stiff, spreadable consistency. You can also add food coloring at any point to make a more eye-catching spread.